A ticklish problem for those who overrated The Brothers McMullen. No big deal for those who rated that as no big deal either. Edward Burns, the director-writer-star of both, clearly relishes the creative power of moving people around on the gameboard of Personal Relationships. Not to mention the power of making up the rules of the game as he goes. Not to mention the power of chalking out the niftiest moves for his own character. And not to mention the power, with his higher profile and budget, of signing up a couple of rising Hollywood cupcakes (Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston), even if this last power distances him a bit from the gritty down-to-earthiness of the scrounging shoestringer. He has, as before, a lot of people to play around with. Two brothers (the Brothers Fitzpatrick), a Wall Street whiz kid and "the only English-speaking white guy driving a cab in New York for a living." Their dad. Their mom (a significant figure, though strategically kept out of sight for the duration). Their wives, one brand-new and one old-hat. Their current and former girlfriend — one and the same person, the current girlfriend of one brother and the former of the other. And lessers. The paraded wit and wisdom ("Let me get this straight. You don't want to cheat on your girlfriend with your wife") are never as witty or as wise as they aspire to be. They convey nothing so much as the dauntlessness, the confidence, the enthusiasm — to pick kind words — of idiot youth. With Mike McGlone, Maxine Bahns, John Mahoney. (1996) — Duncan Shepherd